— The executive officer of the Norfolk-based USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier has been relieved after an investigation into allegations of an improper relationship, the Navy reported Monday. Capt. Robert Gamberg was given a punitive letter of reprimand. He was relieved by Rear Adm. Ted Branch, commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic. The improper relationship did not involve a member of the U.S. Navy, said Cmdr. Phil Rosi, a spokesman for Naval Air Force Atlantic. He declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns.

NEWPORT NEWS - When the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln returns to duty, it will carry 30 tons of naval history with it. Workers at Newport News Shipbuilding recently installed an anchor on Lincoln that came used, but in good condition. It was taken from the former USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered carrier, now inactivated and docked a few hundred yards away. An inspection of the Lincoln, which is undergoing a mid-life overhaul, found that it needed a new anchor, according to a company press release.

The Defense Department is reportedly set to recommend moving an aircraft carrier to a new, permanent base in Mayport, Fla., which would be a major loss to Hampton Roads. The recommendation is in the Quadrennial Defense Review, which will be submitted to Congress as early as Monday. That's according to a final draft of the QDR obtained by CongressDaily, a political newsletter, and posted on its Web site. Another source confirmed to the Daily Press that it was the final draft.

Sailors and Marines aboard the Norfolk-based USS Theodore Roosevelt rescued two men off the Florida Coast earlier this week after their vessel was engulfed by flames. Sailors spotted a rescue flare around 4:30 a.m. Monday about 90 miles off the coast. That was about an hour after the Roosevelt crew had contacted the fishermen telling them to change their course and speed because they were in the aircraft carrier's' operating area, according to a statement from the aircraft carrier.

The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is scheduled to return to the Norfolk Naval Station today after a deployment of seven months in the Middle East. Aircraft have been arriving since the weekend at Oceana Naval Air Station, and the Eisenhower is set to return today with about 5,000 sailors on board.

NEWPORT NEWS - When Edward Shields joined the Navy 10 months ago, the recruiter didn't mention jackhammer duty. But last week, the young Navy airman stood aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, bending his 6-foot-5-inch frame in a cramped passageway, blasting apart floor tiles and making a great deal of noise while doing it. He is part of a 35-sailor team that has pulverized 372,000 square feet of tile since the Lincoln arrived at Newport...

NORFOLK - The Navy made history Wednesday when it successfully landed a computer-guided drone on an aircraft carrier for the first time, a feat that Navy leaders likened to a new age of aviation. After two successful landings aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, the prototype X-47B tried a third time, and it detected a "navigational computer anomaly" that required it to divert to Wallops Island Air Field, where it navigated and landed without incident. Navy leaders scheduled a conference call Thursday to discuss the results of the demonstration.

NEWPORT NEWS — The Navy has accepted delivery of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier after a successful round of final sea trials, Northrop Grumman Corp. said Friday. Built in Newport News, the $6.26 billion ship was first delivered on May 11 and returned last summer for a $72.6 million, seven-month maintenance period called a post-shakedown availability. During that time, shipyard workers and Bush crew members finished work that remained after the carrier was commissioned and delivered, including air wing spaces and combat systems.

Newport News Shipbuilding is gearing up for what promises to be a very big deal: the christening Nov. 9 of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. Downtown Newport News hasn't seen one of these since 2006, when the USS George H.W. Bush was christened. The Bush was the last of the Nimitz-class carriers. November's christening marks the debut of the Ford class, a new, technology-heavy flattop meant to patrol the seas for decades to come. We'll be writing a few stories about the Ford between now and then, but the Daily Press wants your input as well.

Florida's men's basketball schedule was done when Mike Hill got the call. But when the guy on the other line is offering a game on a naval carrier, it's pretty difficult to say no. Hill, the senior associate athletics director, scrambled to rearrange the Gators' schedule when Alan Verlander called a few weeks ago. Verlander, the executive director of Sports and Entertainment for the city of Jacksonville, Fla., helped put together the Navy/Marine Corps...

NEWPORT NEWS - As of last week, America's newest aircraft carrier was 81 percent complete, its sleek tower rising above Pier 3 at Newport News Shipbuilding. To motorists driving along Huntington Avenue, the Gerald R. Ford might seem no different than the aircraft carriers moored at Naval Station Norfolk a few miles to the south. But make no mistake, this ship, the first of a new class, is different from the bridge to the bathrooms. New technology is crammed into all corners of the Ford, and it will change everything from the launch of combat jets to how sailors line up for lunch.

A fitting tribute On Saturday, the Navy's newest submarine will get its proper christening at Newport News Shipbuilding. It is always inspiring to witness the pomp and ceremony that marks a significant stage in the construction of a new vessel at our shipyard. It is simultaneously a heartfelt celebration of our nation's military, and a proud showcase of a business that has been the centerpiece of both our region's economy and its character for more than a century. This weekend's ceremony will christen the Virginia-class submarine that will carry the name of former U.S. Sen. John Warner, and that makes it even more special.

Sen. Tim Kaine thinks the Obama administration can make a good case for U.S. military action to stop the surge of ISIL in Iraq. But the president needs to make it, and not just to the American people but to Congress. The Virginia Democrat stopped in downtown Newport News Wednesday to visit The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding. Chatting with reporters after his tour, talk turned to the well-funded al-Qaida splinter group now seen as a rising threat in Iraq and Syria.

A computer-controlled drone launched, flew and landed alongside a fighter jet during an exercise Sunday off the Virginia coast — proving for the first time that manned and unmanned aircraft can operate together. In tests aboard the Norfolk-based USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy launched an F/A-18 Hornet and the X-47B, a prototype unmanned aircraft. After a 24-minute flight, the X-47B landed on the carrier's flight deck, folded its wings and taxied away from the landing area, allowing the Hornet to land.

Newport News shipyard workers built the USS Enterprise, but their attention did not stop there. When the one-of-a-kind aircraft carrier demanded special attention, they flew halfway around the world to fix it. When the ship returned from its final combat deployment in November 2012, ending more than 50 years of military service, a few veteran shipbuilders climbed in a small boat and escorted it into Hampton Roads. Among them was Rodger Morefield, a sheet metal foreman with 34 years at Newport News Shipbuilding.

Huntington Ingalls Industries recently received good news for its Newport News Shipbuilding division: The refueling of an aircraft carrier, a job worth billions of dollars and once in danger, now seems on course. Now comes HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Mississippi, which would like to secure money for an additional ship. But things are looking less certain for Pascagoula. At stake: A potential drop in work for the defense giant's Gulf Coast operation that might not affect Newport News, but eventually could be felt in the corporation as a whole.

A chapter of aircraft carrier history ends Saturday at Naval Station Norfolk, when the USS Enterprise is formally inactivated during a pier side ceremony. Don't look now, but the future is already taking shape two piers away On Monday, the USS Harry S. Truman took delivery of a bat-winged experimental drone, the X-47B, in order to conduct handling tests. The Truman will become the first aircraft carrier to perform tests for an unmanned aircraft, marking the start of a new era in naval war fighting.

NORFOLK - Even as the U.S. prepares to christen its newest aircraft carrier, oncoming budget cuts will compel the Navy to seriously consider reducing the overall size of its carrier fleet, the Navy's top officer said Wednesday. Any move in that direction could have serious consequences for Hampton Roads, home to the only East Coast carrier port, the only U.S. shipyard that builds carriers and the Navy's master jet base, home to carrier air wings. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert addressed the matter after an all-hands call aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which was pier side at Naval Station Norfolk.

Huntington Ingalls Industries recently received good news for its Newport News Shipbuilding division: The refueling of an aircraft carrier, a job worth billions of dollars and once in danger, now seems on course. Now comes HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Mississippi, which would like to secure money for an additional ship. But things are looking less certain for Pascagoula. At stake: A potential drop in work for the defense giant's Gulf Coast operation that might not affect Newport News, but eventually could be felt in the corporation as a whole.